2 Apr 2017

One of Liverpool's fringe players has revealed his frustration with being stuck on the bench at Anfield.

Summer signing Loris Karius hasn't featured in a Premier League for almost four months, and with the Reds out of all domestic cup competitions, there's little chance of first team game time.

Perennial bench duty is playing on Karius's mind, and in an interview with SID this week, he noted:

"I am training at a very high level, I am physically in top condition. Every goalkeeper wants to play. When I came here, my aim was to be the number one and that is still my claim".

Privately, Karius probably expects to be reinstalled as Liverpool's number one this summer, but is that really going to happen? Mignolet is in the midst of an extended period of good form, and if he maintains this until the end of the season, Klopp may decide to keep him as the Reds' first-choice goalkeeper.

Additionally, the Reds are regularly linked with new goalkeepers, and if Klopp signs another experienced 'Keeper next season, Karius may find himself warming the bench yet again, especially if Mignolet stays at the club.

I've argued for over two years that Mignolet needs to be replaced, and I maintain that view. Since 2013, Mignolet has made more mistakes that led to goals that any other Premier League player (11 in total). And that's all players, not just goalkeepers.

Despite his solid form recently, the Reds need a more consistently reliable goalkeeper if/when the club returns to the Champions League. Is €18m-rated Karius that player?